89 Tasting Notes

Having now tried a handful of Tealish flavours, I can’t help but notice that they all come across a bit same-y to me. The upside of that is that they all taste perfectly pleasant, but nothing stands out to me as being particularly amazing. Like the other Tealish dessert teas I’ve tried, this one has a thin but agreeable generic taste of “sweets”. The flavour reminds me of the smell that wafts up at you when you open a tin of Quality Street. This tea is pleasant but ultimately forgettable; I will enjoy what I have and move on.

I loved this when it first came out and ordered a lot of lattes made with it. Maybe that’s what ruined it for me when fixed as a regular tea. When I made a cup at home, I noticed a peculiar mineral taste that made it less palatable. I assumed this was due to the fact that I don’t filter my water, or hadn’t descaled my kettle in awhile, so I didn’t think too much of it. But then, the next cup that I had prepared at DT also conveyed this same strange note. My tastebuds sometimes perceive chamomile as tasting a bit “dusty”, so that might be why. Perhaps when brewed up strong enough for a tea latte, the fruit flavours and vanilla dominate the chamomile. In any case, I enjoyed it for the season, but I won’t be terribly sad when it disappears from the shelves.

GAK! Abomination! Tastes like weak rooibos, sugar, and EGGS. The meringue in this is doing it no favours. Hints at the flavour of real eggnog but without any of the richness that makes real eggnog worth drinking at all. May have actually made me hate Christmas a little bit. Big ol’ nope.

Want to like. Keep trying to like. But, do not like. Sadface. White teas never seem to ring my bell, so maybe that’s it? I dunno, though. I keep searching for the “almond” in the “almond biscotti”, but I can never find it. All I get is a thin, vague sweetness. If I spot it on the shelves again this holiday season, I think I’ll take a pass.

Virtually identical to Forever Nuts from David’s Tea, to the point that I wouldn’t be surprised if both companies source from the same supplier. It’s not too much of a stretch for many different companies to have an apple/cinnamon/almond blend, but the inclusion of beetroot in both is what makes me raise a dubious eyebrow. In any case, it’s a winning flavour combination that reminds me of apple pie and oatmeal cookies with cinnamon. I initially found this one slightly less cinnamon-y than Forever Nuts, but I’ve noticed that the flavour of Forever Nuts can be wildly inconsistent with each purchase (sometimes it’s more spicy, other times, more nutty), so maybe that’s the case with Toasty Almond, as well. Both infusions suffer if over-steeped, taking on a strange tang, which may be attributable to either the apple or the beetroot. Both are good, but Forever Nuts is more easily accessible to me, so I doubt I’ll pick up Toasty Almond again.

I love this blend. Creamy and lemon-y, and caffeine-free, so I can have it right before bed. A lot of the Tealish teas and infusions that I’ve tried have been somewhat lacking in flavour, but this one is potent. I’d classify this as a favourite.

I liked it well-enough. Tastes like it says it will: orange marzipan. I feel like this one is kind of a springtime tea for me, when the weather still cold enough for me to crave sweet, comfort-food flavours, but at the same time warm enough for me to start feeling starved for lighter, fruitier fare.

Ohh-ho, golly… This is a tough one to review. It’s not that I didn’t like the flavour. I found it unique; spicy and sweet, and plenty strong enough for me. The problem is that one of the spices it contains is cumin. Cumin leaches through my pores at a surprising rate, and leaves me smelling, uh, a tad whiffy. So, it’s a no-go for me, I’m afraid. I think I’d feel quite differently about this one, though, if it didn’t make me smell like a farm animal on a hot day, so don’t let my experience scare you off.